The phrase “no justice, no peace” has become such a commonplace call-and-response chant in Oklahoma City protest marches over the past few years that it has become as shorthanded as “Boomer Sooner” in some circles. Though not a new saying, it carries the baggage of polarized present-day discourse due to its renewed popularization alongside the […]
Evan Jarvicks
Posted inMusic
Soundcheck: Poppa Foster and The Grits – Gravy Baby
This is the one. For many years, Christopher Foster has been a rambling Tulsan, bringing his New Orleans ivory tickling and bandleading to a bustling assortment of musical projects. Not often the type to take the spotlight, he has lent his funky Southern ear to produce local recordings for the likes of Dane and The […]
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Soundcheck: Keathley – Burning Bras
Keathley describes her newer songs as “angry girl music.” It may not seem so at first blush, but listen in. The primal scream album art will begin to click. During the opening seconds of Burning Bras, the new full-band EP from the Guthrie-born singer-songwriter, the soft sweetness is undeniable. Starting track “Lucy” begins with hushed […]
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Soundcheck: Cliffdiver – Exercise Your Demons
The light at the end of the tunnel is often portrayed as some pure, weightless clean slate, some sunny finish line to be accompanied by glorious choir and trumpet fanfare when reached. More reasonably, though, it probably sounds something like Cliffdiver. The Tulsa-based self-described “elevator emo pop” septet is a stirring blend of soul-scraping vocals, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Sparking creativity
The artists of SPARK! Creative Lab are as diverse as Oklahoma City possibly can be, but when they come together to hold a workshop or performance, their attire is entirely uniform. Wearing bold, red coveralls that recall traditionally blue-collar industries, they emphasize the collective’s unified voice. SPARK! celebrates the differences within its roster while reminding […]
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Soundcheck: When the Clock Strikes – I Hope that You Feel Loved
“I’m not counting on closure,” frontman Daniel Basden sings in the opening seconds of I Hope that You Feel Loved, the new EP from Tulsa pop-punk outfit When the Clock Strikes. In context, the line refers to the aftermath of at least one broken-off relationship, but on a broader scale, it represents a prominent theme […]
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Trip with kids
Trip G is for the children. From noon to 4 p.m. April 16, his popular monthly Oklahoma City hip-hop gathering Trip N Friends will lend its platform to the first-ever Trip N Kids festivity. The free event will host an Easter egg hunt at a noteworthy multi-purpose neighborhood park in OKC’s Eastside, Riley Leroy “Pitts” […]
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Soundcheck: Sun Deep — Will Rap for Change
Sun Deep has skyrocketed in Oklahoma City music over the past year and Will Rap for Change is the proof. Featuring some of the biggest spitters in the rap and spoken word scenes, his first proper producer album is 15 tracks built around a common theme of change, whatever that happens to mean for each […]
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Indie overground
Some of the most up-and-coming artists in indie/alternative music have headlined Norman Music Festival since its inception, but that doesn’t stop naysayers from voicing unsolicited advice every year. While there has been an overwhelming fervor in comment sections over 2022’s big gets like The Drums, DIIV, Wet, and …And You Will Know Us by the […]
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Serendipitous Songs
When S. Reidy released “Abstract Gravity” as a single in the pre-COVID days of 2020, the longhaired, beanie-wearing Norman rapper didn’t know it would become the opening track to his new album. It was intended for a project called Open: Honesty, which he scrapped during the pandemic. The next year, following his well-regarded I Started […]